Needle for lacing shoe-uppers.



A. E. JERRAM.

NEEDLE FOR LACING SHOE UPPERS.

APPLICATION FILED 0504,1914.

1,289, 183,, Patented Dec. 31 1918.

ARTHUR ERNEST JERRAM, OF LEICESTER,

srn

ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

NEEDLE FOR LACING SHOE-UPPERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

Application filed December 2, 1914. Serial No. 875,199.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR EJnRnAm, a subject of the King of GreatBritani, residing at Leicester, in the county of Leicester, England,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Needles for LacingShoe-Uppers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact de scription of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to appliances for lacing boot and shoe uppers,and particularly to that type of lacing appliance which comprises aplurality of barbed needles for carrying through the work a number ofloops of lacing material which are secured in place by threading throughthem a length of lacing material or other fastening device.

In this type of lacing appliance the needles are arranged parallel toone another with their axes approximately in one plane, and" in orderthat the lacing material may enter the thread grooves in the needleswith facility, the needles are so dlsposed that the plane containing thebarb and the shank of each needle is approximately at right angles tothe plane containing the axes of the needles. Consequently with needlesof usual form, the openings through the needles that form the threadgrooves are in alinement so that the two sides of all the loops carriedthrough the work are in the same plane, that is to say, in the plane ofthe axes of the needles. From this cause, difiiculty is experienced inthreading the fastening material through the loops so formed unlessmechanism is provided for rotating each of the needles.

It is an object of this inventlon to overcome this difliculty, andaccording to one feature of the invention, in a lacing appliance of thetype specified the needles are so formed and disposed that While the endportion of each needle barb projects as heretofore awav from the planein which the axes of the needles lie, the portion or bend of each needlethat connects the barb to the shank is arranged to lie substantially inthe general plane of the said axes. In

this way while the tip of each needle barb is in a suitable position toreceive the lacing material the part of the opening forming the end ofthe thread groove into which the lacing material is drawn while it isbeing carried through the work'has such a direction that the loops areformed at a substantial angle to the plane in which the series of loopslies, so that the fastening material may be threaded through the loopswithout itbeing necessary, as in prior constructions, to turn eachneedle about its axis to twist the loop carried by it, or to cause thefastening material itself to take a sinuous course.

A further feature of the invention consists of a needle for use inlacing boot and shoe uppers comprising a barb the end portion of whichprojects out of. the plane containing the shank of the needle and thebase portion or bend connecting the barb to the shank.

An example of a lacing appliance embodying the present invention and ofthe preferred form of lacing needle will now be described with referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan of the preferred form of needle;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a section through the needle the base portion connecting theshank the barb, and v Figs. 4 and .5 are perspective views of a lacingappliance embodying the present invention in the preferred form andillustrating two steps in the lacing of an upper.

Like reference characters indicate like parts in all the figures.

The needle shown in' the drawings may readily be constructed by forminga reduced portion A on the end of the shank A. Part of this reducedportion is bent back to form the barb B and twisted axially of theneedle so that the base portion C where it is joined to the shank of theneedle is approximately at right angles to the plane containing the tipof the barb and the needle shank, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

A space D is left between the barb and the shank to form the threadgroove. In order at to that the loops of lacing material may be opened.as widely aspossible-to permlt easy passage of the fastening materialthroughv the loops, it is advantageous to widen out laterally theportion C of the needle at the bend which forms the junction of the barband the shank, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3".

In Figs. 4 and 5 is shown a lacing ap pliance of the type specifiedwhich comprises a number, in the example shown three, of lacing needlesconstructed substantially as abovedescribed. The needles mayconveniently be mounted in a supportv or block E, the distance betweenadjacent needles bein equal to the distance apart of adjacent eye et'holes in the boot and: shoe uppers to be laced. In the use of theappliance, the corresponding eyelet holes inthe' two sides of a shoeupper F are brought together and the eyelet holes which it isdesired tolace are passed over the needles. A length of lacing material G is nextpassed over or laid upon theshanks of the needles, as shown inFig. Theupper isthenwith drawn from the needles, the lacing materialpassing.down the thread" grooves in the needles and being formed into threeloops G as shown inFig. 5, .theformation: of the needles twisting thesaid loops through an angle ofsubstantia'll'y, ninety degrees intosuitablepositionto receive the fastening device. A. portion. G of thesame or another piece of lacing. material is. then passed throughv theloops and the free endsof the The lacing material secured together.loops are now removed from the needle barbs, the two: sides of the upperare flattened out, and the lacing of: the: upper is appliance shown, apieceof. lacing material has been complete. Although: in the used as thefastening, device for the loops,

it. will be understood that any other suitable fastening device may beemployed, as for ex-- ample-a metal pin, the particular device employedbeing immaterial asfar as the present invention is concerned.

Having explained the nature and object of the invention and specificallydescribed 11A straight needle adapted to pass I through the eyelet holeof an upper and draw a loop of lacing thread therethrough having, a barbthe end portion of which projects out of the plane containing the shankand base portion connecting the barb to the shank. I o

2. A needle for use in lacing boot and shoe uppers, having a shank, andbarb and a transversely enlarged .base connecting the shank and: barbthe end of the barb projecting out of the plane of the base and shank.

3.v Anzappliancefior lacing boot and shoe uppers, comprising a pluralityof needles arranged? side by. side: and. having barbs the end portionsof, which project out. of; the general. plane ofv the series of needles.and; having the base portions on bends connecting; the barbsand. shanksarranged substan tially in said; plane.

4.. An appliance for. laci'ngboot and. shoe uppers comprisinggaplurality ofneedlesarrangedside'by side to pass through the eyelet holesof an upper; and having their barbs inposition to receive the lacing;thread, and having the ends of their thread grooves which draw theloops. of lacing thread through the eyelet holes arranged to holdtheloops in line: with each other and at a substantial angle tothe planeof the series to permit the fastening material to be threaded. throughthe loops.

5. An appliancefor lacingboot and shoe uppers comprising, a series of,barb needles arranged'parallel toone another with their axesapproximately in one-plane, and having their barbs arranged to receive athread extending along the series, and! havingtheir bend or baseportions connecting the barbs and shanks substantially in the pl'aneof:the

axes.

ARTHUR" ERNEST JERRAM. Witnesses; FREDERICK WILLIAM WORTH, Oren.HERBERT- Gross.

Copies-ofthispatentmay be obtained; for flveccents eacm bye addressingthe Commissioner ofirateuts,

Washington, D.- 0."

